There's no rush, really, given the speed at which I've been putting chapters together as of late... (SLOW! TOO SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooow) I haven't looked into multimedia incorporation, though I probably should. I don't really intend on illustrating the story in any kind of formal way, but whatever drawings DO emerge should be readily accessible.

Avatar: Guu is uncertain...Crying Man(Or, How Dr. Katsuragi Found God): Read at AO3 & Discuss Here. Status: First Draft. Chapter 10: Idle Hands released 5/24/2017."Fighting idiocy is like fighting a hydra. Cut off one head, two more grow back and need to tell you their uninformed opinion." - PeeJee, Something*Positive

I'm digging the sexiness (as usual) and the "Crown of thorns" that is some awesome pseudo-symbolic Evaness!

I do have two questions about all of this:

1) Would you be opposed to other people's artwork being associated with this fic (based on a number of factors such as remaining relative to the work and its quality)?

2) I haven't gotten quite far enough in the story yet to know whether or not this is the case, but are there or is there going to be a scene(s) in Crying Man where Akira and Yui have a moment or two? I only ask because of what I read in your post paralleling Shinji to Misato via their parents. Plus, I think it would be a kind of hilarious mirroring of when Kaworu and Rei meet in ep. 24.

Can I just say, given your level of research on the matter, that I practically count the Dr. K and Kaworu connection as fact? I mean really is Kaworu "Nagisa" Kaworu of the (dead)sea shore. I mean, surely the ocean imagery are more than symbolic to form some connections right?

FROM EVANGELION:"Acts of Man are greater than acts of God!"

"I'm saying that I love you."

NOT FROM EVANGELION: "You are excrement. You can change yourself into gold."

Very interesting character interactions and expansion of the pre-NGE universe!

Another familiar face: Young Misato! I take it that this ties in directly to her “child from” as seen in her mental flashbacks? At this point, she’s done being a kid who “tries to be good for her mommy” and is more of pissed of teen, I take it?

That kitchen scene…First of all, NGE and Kitchens! Then, this! One word: WOW. Now, it strikes me as somewhat odd in that Eva’s never just went for the straight pornographic route (sans some explicit nudity and masturbation of course), but I understand why it’s there. It would seem, Akira’s undergoing his own “hedgehog’s dilemma” with Sayaka. Although, I can’t really understand why exactly he’s so afraid of intimacy with his own wife…I mean what could’ve happened to him/them to make their relationship so sad? Is it simply because of the way he’s delved so deeply into his work? Beyond that, the green shirt he wears was a nice shout out to Shinji (If that was intentional).

Side Note: It seems weird to say, but as I am reading and enjoying the story, I can’t help but find all these little things that act as tiny references to the source material. It’s like finding little Easter eggs, it’s very neat and fun within the read itself.

Anyway, the ducks on the pond were an interesting call forward, both to Pen Pen and the White Geo-Front lake. Haru is certainly an interesting character. He kind of reminds me of the random guy in the ep. 21 flashbacks who urges Fiyutski to “be more socialable.” Also, great call forward with Hajime Ikari Foundation…This signals (to me at least) funding for projects > Yui > SEELE. In that sense, it’s like all of the independent fields of research, various projects are all starting coalesce (unbeknownst to our desperate, angst-ridden protagonist of course) towards the greater scheme regarding Second Impact, The Angels/Evas, etc.

Dammit, I wish Akira had just crawled into bed with Sayaka at the end of the chapter (‘d have him spoon up againts me anytime, lol)…ARRRGrrr!!! But canon being what it is…The decline of their relationship is a necessary devil. One other thing…Kyoko’s e-mail. I think it would’ve been interesting to see some of what she actually wrote. Not necessarily the stuff about agencies and grants (that would be rather difficult). But, perhaps the personal/flirtatious stuff where she addresses Akira directly. This isn’t really a criticism or even a strike against your writing. I just think it would be interesting from a character-building point of view. You could have all that stuff and then have it lead into the funding stuff and leave that part up to the description you provided.

Other than that, this is some really great stuff! I’m really digging the emotional tonality of the whole thing thus far! Great writing as usual Reichu! What I really like about all of this is how much of the story acts as such a “sparse NGE” because of its prequel nature, it’s somewhat of a deconstruction of the original story’s narrative. But like NGE’s universe you have the central focus on characters/emotions set to the backdrop of greater world changing events going on behind the scenes. That is something I can greatly appreciate.

FROM EVANGELION:"Acts of Man are greater than acts of God!"

"I'm saying that I love you."

NOT FROM EVANGELION: "You are excrement. You can change yourself into gold."

A lot of your questions and comments will be addressed in the story itself with further reading, so I'm not gonna say nothin' about those.

SawItAtAge10 wrote:1) Would you be opposed to other people's artwork being associated with this fic (based on a number of factors such as remaining relative to the work and its quality)?

Huh. What in particular do you have in mind?

2) I haven't gotten quite far enough in the story yet to know whether or not this is the case, but are there or is there going to be a scene(s) in Crying Man where Akira and Yui have a moment or two? I only ask because of what I read in your post paralleling Shinji to Misato via their parents. Plus, I think it would be a kind of hilarious mirroring of when Kaworu and Rei meet in ep. 24.

Can I just say, given your level of research on the matter, that I practically count the Dr. K and Kaworu connection as fact? I mean really is Kaworu "Nagisa" Kaworu of the (dead)sea shore. I mean, surely the ocean imagery are more than symbolic to form some connections right?

I've learned the hard way not to treat it as "fact". You saw all the eye-rolling cynics in my K4 thread, I assume. It's a complicated series of ideas that supposes something is hidden in the narrative and never explicitly revealed. Film analysis that delves into such arcana is always going to be contentious. Even if I redid that thread from scratch and presented all of the intended arguments as lucidly as possibly, a lot of people would disagree with it. But I guess that's okay. Pointing out the observations so people can make up their own minds about what it means is what's important, at the end of the day. If you find that Kaworu being Misato's half-brother enhances your NGE experience, then let it be part of your head canon. It's a deeply ingrained part of mine!

For the purposes of the story, I do want "Nagisa" to have some sort of personal meaning for Akira. In terms of the K4 theory, though, I don't think there's any connection. I've assumed that the principal significance of "seashore" is to tie in with NGE's creation motifs. Namely, the recurring image of waves crashing upon a shore and everything that it stands for: Motherhood, Creation, (Re)Birth. In NGE, life emerging from the seas is symbolically equivalent to a human life emerging from the womb. As the avatars of Earth's two creator deities, Rei and Kaworu are two sides of the same coin: Rei Ayanami is the wave (Ayanami = "twill wave"), and Kaworu Nagisa is the shore.

Beyond that, the green shirt he wears was a nice shout out to Shinji (If that was intentional).

I can't even remember Shinji ever wearing a green shirt, heh. The real reason for the green goes back to my early attempts to draw Akira (which are terrible and should not be seen by anyone), some of which I would color in with Photoshop. Akira's Gehirn-issue turtleneck (which he totally rocks because of that long, skinny neck of his, swoooon) ended up being forest green simply because it complemented his dark purple hair. So I figured, if it's a color that worked for him, he would wear it on a regular basis anyway.

Damn, this really makes me want to set up that desktop so I can color my drawings again. Soon, Akira-san; please be patient...

It seems weird to say, but as I am reading and enjoying the story, I can’t help but find all these little things that act as tiny references to the source material. It’s like finding little Easter eggs, it’s very neat and fun within the read itself.

It's not weird at all, as a good number of them are 100% intentional. Others creep in of their own accord. (The things you pointed out about the courtyard scene, for instance.) I try to notice this organic creep whenever possible so I can best take advantage of it. One of my favorite things about NGE is how its narrative and setting form a hyper-dense tapestry of connections, and, this being a tribute to NGE, it's something I wish to emulate.

One other thing…Kyoko’s e-mail. I think it would’ve been interesting to see some of what she actually wrote. (snip)

Thanks for the suggestion! It's something I'll definitely mull over.

BTW, I had a question for you up here. I dunno if you missed it or just didn't have an answer or what, but I'd love to hear back.

------------Work on the next chapters (the ARQA two-parter) continues, very slowly. I wish I knew the exact reason why it's taking so long. I suppose the most obvious one would be that the narrative is "going to the next level". Everything is stepping up in complexity. Weaving a story is really hard! ......But the result will be so worth it.

Avatar: Guu is uncertain...Crying Man(Or, How Dr. Katsuragi Found God): Read at AO3 & Discuss Here. Status: First Draft. Chapter 10: Idle Hands released 5/24/2017."Fighting idiocy is like fighting a hydra. Cut off one head, two more grow back and need to tell you their uninformed opinion." - PeeJee, Something*Positive

Finally started assembling chapter 10! It was somewhat horrifying to realize that I first started working on it over a year ago. What the hell have I been doing all this time?! (Adjusting to a new living situation and getting repeatedly distracted by this and that, but still.)

To psyche myself up, I've started working on a piece that is positively oozing with symbolism and foreshadowing. Find, below, the in-progress concept drawing. I didn't plan as well as I should have, so the whole intended composition didn't fit on the page -- no biggy. My hope is to eventually turn this into my first completed color piece in... I can't even remember how many years.

artistic nudity warning SPOILER: Show

The only explanations I'll provide at this point are the ones right on the drawing.

Avatar: Guu is uncertain...Crying Man(Or, How Dr. Katsuragi Found God): Read at AO3 & Discuss Here. Status: First Draft. Chapter 10: Idle Hands released 5/24/2017."Fighting idiocy is like fighting a hydra. Cut off one head, two more grow back and need to tell you their uninformed opinion." - PeeJee, Something*Positive

It has been some time since I've last revisited this story and I found myself getting all caught up. I noticed what you said here:

It's not weird at all, as a good number of them are 100% intentional. Others creep in of their own accord. (The things you pointed out about the courtyard scene, for instance.) I try to notice this organic creep whenever possible so I can best take advantage of it. One of my favorite things about NGE is how its narrative and setting form a hyper-dense tapestry of connections, and, this being a tribute to NGE, it's something I wish to emulate.

Funny thing, I found one scene in the last chapter that struck me as one of those Easter Eggs, but I'm not sure if it was intentional or not. I'm referring to this passage:

SPOILER: Show

Sayaka glances away and wraps her arms across her chest. “Yes. Maybe it wasn't something you would normally do. But why would you do it at all if there was no enmity there?” The accusing, pitiful dark eyes turn back. “You went out of your way to keep it secret. The way you were acting, I thought you were seeing someone else. Do you have any idea what that's like, Akira?”

Akira doesn't remember that time very well at all — it was at least eight years ago, and confusing in every possible way — but apparently it's when Sayaka's own lapses into melancholy became a habitual thing. He knows what deepest melancholy is like. Intimately. But that's not what she's asking about, is it? While he has frequently worried about being abandoned by her, he's never actually harbored suspicions of infidelity. He can imagine it, maybe, if he puts his mind to it, but he's never actually been there. “No, Sayaka, I don't. Thanks to you, I don't.” He tries to sound grateful…

Well it definitely reminds me of Misato and Kaji's breakup, or more specifically their late night talk about the breakup in Episode15. The incident in question happening 8 years ago, the miscommunication, and the suspicion of infidelity that ends up being dispelled exactly 8 years later. I guess this is where I ask: was that all intentional? Either way: Bravo

The ARQA detour was originally supposed to take only two chapters, but it bloated into three. The next two are being written simultaneously. No "Next Time" required, since, alas, the previous one still applies.

Avatar: Guu is uncertain...Crying Man(Or, How Dr. Katsuragi Found God): Read at AO3 & Discuss Here. Status: First Draft. Chapter 10: Idle Hands released 5/24/2017."Fighting idiocy is like fighting a hydra. Cut off one head, two more grow back and need to tell you their uninformed opinion." - PeeJee, Something*Positive